


till you can breathe on your own

by iwishii



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Car Accidents, Drowning, Kissing, M/M, Temporary Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-19
Updated: 2019-03-19
Packaged: 2019-11-25 21:20:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,431
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18171602
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iwishii/pseuds/iwishii
Summary: Diego has never been more frightened than he is now, trying to help his brother reach the surface in time.





	till you can breathe on your own

  
One minute Diego is listening to Klaus sing along with the radio, stuck between finding it annoying and enjoying it, then the next he knows a deafening crash sends his car spinning off in a disorientating blur.

And then they're weightless. For an eternity of seconds.

It's not until they hit the water that Diego realises what's happened. He holds his breath as water pours in through the smashed windows, even enough the freezing temperatures makes him want to gasp, and his hands yank at his belt to undo as soon as he can. The moment the catch releases he's turning in his seat, sloshing through water that's up to his chin now to check on Klaus, and his heart stops when he sees that because of the angle they fell into the river Klaus' end of the car has sunk deeper: filled quicker and Diego can only just make out Klaus' bright pink shirt through the water.

Two wastes no more time, heart racing like a jackhammer, and dips into the back seat to reach for his brother. In the water he sees Klaus yanking fruitlessly at his belt, and with a calmer head Diego reaches down to release it, only to grab that pink shirt and pull Klaus through the seats back to where he knows there's still a small pocket of air.

Klaus grunts when his face is smashed against the roof of the car by Diego's insistant grip on his hair but takes a grateful gulp of air in the space still rapidly filling. His brother hasn't surfaced, not wanting to waste air that Klaus could be breathing, and only lets go of Four's head to open the passenger door. The water stings Klaus' eyes as it finally claims all the remaining air in the car, flooding in from the open door, and he as deep a breath as he can before he's pulled out by the back of his coat by Diego.

They've sunk deep, so deep Klaus can't see the light from above, and he flails to swim up against the drag of the car under him. He's only left struggling for a heartbeat and Diego scoops Klaus up close to help him reach the surface.

In Diego's mind he screams, cursing everything that Klaus can't hold his breath like he can. They're so deep, too deep, Diego's brain supplies with a blinding bolt of terror. Klaus isn't going to make it.

His brother is going to drown.

Bubbles burst out of Klaus' mouth, his face screwed up in pain as he fights the urge to gulp in for air, and Diego panics. If Klaus breathes in that's it...

His mouth plants on Klaus', surprising them both, and he blows out half his capacity of breath into Four who grips his forearms tightly. Klaus chases him when he pulls away but neither have time to ponder on whether it was air Klaus chased or Diego, and Two fruitlessly shoves Klaus up wishing for Luther's strength to rocket Klaus up to the surface.

Frustration and fear blurs his vision more than the water does, because they're still too far down. There's light piercing the bleak river, but Klaus is weakening, Diego can feel it in how much heavier his brother feels, and they're no further up to the surface when Klaus' body spasms and chokes out the precious breath, bubbles exploding out in a flurry, that Diego had only just gifted.

Not stopping to wonder if he could drown without at least some oxygen in his lungs, Diego kicks up so he's face to face with Klaus again and kisses him. Their eyes meet and Diego hates the expression of acceptance that has replaced the previous panic on Klaus' face. He never wants to see Klaus with that expression again, but he'd gladly if it meant Klaus was alive to pull it.

Diego hooks his arms under Klaus' pits and kicks madly, ignoring the burn in them, and underwater no one can tell he's crying. Klaus' lungs are too exhausted to hold his breath for long anymore and if Diego had the air to he'd scream out when he feels his brother go limp.

_Just a little further, Klaus. Please, just a little further._

He doesn't want to think about the bubbles around them. Whether they're from his kicking or the last release of his baby's lungs.

They're so close now, so close, and even with no air in his lungs Diego can't feel any of the burn Klaus had been suffering with. Even with no oxygen, Diego can almost hear Reginald note, you survive.

He does gasp in air when his head breaks the surface, shouting when Klaus' head flops onto his shoulder. His brother's lips are blue, his face ashen and eyes closed.

"K-K-K-Klaus" Diego sobs, eyes never leaving his brother's face as his legs work overtime to keep them afloat. One arm wraps under Klaus' torso to hold him up, and with his other he puts a hand to Klaus' face tapping and begging for some reaction. "Pluh-pluh... Pluh..."

He can't speak so he gives up, taking another deep breath and dipping forward to force air through Klaus' cold lips. Like the previous two it's not a lover's kiss, it's a desperate man trying to gift the kiss of life he doesn't have the power to give.

 _Breathe. Please, Klaus, please just breathe_.

The sound that comes out of him when under his fingers holding Klaus' neck no pulse is felt, is loud, strangled and heard from the bridge above by shouting strangers calling for the emergency services or trying to flag down an approaching boat.

* * *

 

"You again" The little girl scowls at him, perfectly dry while Klaus is soaking wet. "I go twenty-nine years without having to see you and now you show up twice in as many months"

He flaps his hand at her dismissively. "I guess I'm not staying?"

Shame since the forest they're in is peaceful. There's a swing hanging from a large overhead branch that Klaus is tempted to have a go on: would the rope snap in the afterlife?

"No" She says primly, annoyed with the water Klaus flicks at her. "Go away, now"

Klaus' eyebrows raise. "What, no heartfelt meeting with daddy dear this time?"

She shakes her head, turns her back to him and Klaus' vision fills with light.

* * *

 

He opens his eyes to the view of Diego's water logged hair dripping down his anguished face, and for a second Klaus forgot he died and he brings a hand up to Two's face.

"What's up eh?" He slurs, and then coughs because oh, _oh_ drowning is horrible. He never wants to drown again.

Diego cries harder, his hand coming up to cover Klaus' on his face and interlink their fingers. His lips move to try for words but he gives up immediately, ducking to press their foreheads together.

Lying in Diego's arms on someone's private yacht on the middle of the river, surrounded by rich assholes shrieking about 911 and CPR, Klaus' eyes fill with tears. Last time he died there was no one around to care it had happened, no one even knew he'd gone, just that some random man got knocked out in the club. Seeing Diego wrecked now, struggling to speak and express how much it hurt to watch Klaus die despite trying to give him his breath...

"You tried to save me" Klaus whispers, raw and choked up. Diego sniffs and nods, rocking Klaus like he doesn't realise he's doing it.

Diego cared so much. He cared so much that he risked hitting the limits of his ability to try and give Klaus another minute of time to reach the surface. He gave everything he had to try and keep Klaus' heart beating...

Klaus is the one who brings their lips together this time. It's a terrible first kiss, not fueled by survival, just a smash of wet closed lips but it sends a bolt of lightning through Klaus like no other kiss from a partner ever has before: the small sound Diego makes, an almost whimper, pulls at his heart and Klaus realises how much of a big fat lie it had been saying Dave was the only one he ever loved more than himself.

Diego drops his head into Klaus' neck, crying openly in a way he never had when they were kids, and Klaus strokes his hair as he stares up at the sky.

"I'm okay, Di" Klaus assures, kissing promises of such into Diego's temple. "I'm okay"

 

**Author's Note:**

> Title from Birdy's "keeping your head up" 
> 
> Let me know what you think!! This is gifted to all my kliego babes


End file.
